Keystone World Question

BevVincent

Does time only run in one direction in the Keystone World? If so, how can Roland be doomed to revisit it in the past again and again?

BevVincent

DT7 SPOILERS





I believe that Roland isn't exactly pulled into the past but rather sent to a different "level of the Tower." He's not the same Roland as we saw on page 1 of DT1 -- for one thing he has the horn of Eld, which means that he's a somewhat "better" person. He's elevated.



Besides, when your in the Tower, the nexus of all places and times, all bets are off!



Finally, Eddie's hypothesis that time runs in only one direction in the keystone world is never proved, only stated. He could be wrong!

BevVincent

I feel that the presence of the horn is not due to Roland being a better person but rather because he thinks that everything was not right leading up to the tower therefore maybe this time if he has the horn the tower will grant him peace/death. It won't. I for one don't feel the least bit sorry for Roland's damnation, he said all along that he didn't know what to expect when he entered the tower, if this is what happens to him for all of eternity, too bad. Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat but the cat's curiosity sure as hell can kill you just ask Eddie and Jake. Another question, if King died they thought the tower would fall, but it wouldn't, would it? The story would just stop. I'm getting confused all over again. I wish King would have left himself out of the story, I wanted to think of the characters as real not created by his hand. Isn't that just like the magician revealing how the rabbit disappeared? If not worse. I

sunny99

David Nelson wrote:  Another question is how does he acquire the Horn of Eld?  He was sent back to the Mohaine quite a while after Jericho Hill happened.  I think the Dark Tower gave it to him just to toy with his tortured soul.  

Even though the "loop" as everybody calls it make him start at the Mohaine desert tracking the the man in black, it is also essentially rewriting his history of before. Which is why Roland hears the voice saying "this time it might be different" or something to that extent. His personality has changed from the man of the previous cycle of the quest (the one we are reading) to be able to stop long enough to pick up the Horn at Jericho Hill. This was also mention in passing in the Coda of DT7. Roland has the memory that he did stop and pick up the Horn so everything this time round could be different.



The Horn for me is a symbol that everything little thing he did in the quest we are reading about will have direct repercussion on this upcoming one and to determine whether the Tower will stand or fall this time round.



Just like perhaps the key Jake found at the vacant lot and the bowling bag with the scrimshaw turtle found by the ka-tet at the same location when they go todash might be rewards for the things they did right in a previous incarnation of the loop instead of just another deus ex machina by SK.

Coral

I can to some extent agree with the sentiment that Mr. King should have left himself out of the story, however, he does not state ever that he created Roland and his ka-tet, he repeats again and again that he hears the voice of the Turtle (or the voice of Gan) telling this tale. (After nearly dieing I can understand why he would want to immortalize himself a bit, just as he did in Kingdom Hospital.) I believe perhaps that he views himself only as the machine through which Roland's story is told. They believe he created them but they do not know and neither does he. If he were to have died then yes the story would have stopped being told but would it have stopped happening? Who knows? Anyway...



As for time only running one way in the keystone world... Walter said it best, "It is size that defeats us." Each of us has an infinite number of possible actions at any given moment of our lives. Each one of those actions will lead to another and another and another... Perhaps in each branch there is one central thread, one that can not be changed but changes itself with each action not taken to encompass all possibilities at all times. (That is extremely confusing but I think it works.)



In this branch of Roland's life he knelt to pick up the horn dropped by Bert thus thrusting him on only a slightly different path than the one he was on before. This leads us (and perhaps Roland himself) to believe that some of his other actions may be different as well. Another branch another Keystone world, Roland's Keystone world on this branch. My belief on the matter is that it is not Roland's Ka to visit The Dark Tower at all but only to save it. It is Roland's arrogance that drives him on toward a thing that he has no right to claim. Love and laughter and family are what matter in this life so those who are arrogant enough to seek that which should not be sought must repeat it to learn this lesson. Perhaps that is why Gan prodded Mr. King into writing the story in the first place? Go then there are other worlds than these... Eddie and Susanna and Jake are all together now will they be drawn again and again until Roland finally joins THEM instead of the other way around?

Mamakatster

There are two things that the "loop" ending brings to mind:



Twilight Zone (isn't every great horror/sci fi story based on one of them?)



and the horrible possible fate in 1408 - repeating the awful experience endlessly.



Is it a punishment?  Or just Ka?  After all, we were told that Ka is a wheel for many many pages.



It seemed to fit well, a final irony.  Though I wonder, what small things will be changed, since he has the horn...what else is different?  Will one small act have ripples into the future, as in Bradbury's Sound of Thunder?  



Best thing about that ending is it gives you a lot to think about.  And makes you want to start reading the whole series again!



MK